New Year possibilities for your job and career

The New Year calls each one of us to get out of our own way. Donât wait to act until you deem yourself smarter, braver, or wiser.

Solid Solutions: Every month career development specialist Sylvia D. Hepler discusses how to deal with the issues we face in our professional lives.

Want a happier 2014 at work? Try to find somebody who doesn’t. Most of us can’t wait to toss out the old and roll in the new. After all, it’s what we toasted. There’s a catch though: New doesn’t guarantee better. New is rarely better unless we make it so.

Why don’t we do it? Why don’t we succeed in making the new year better? Upon analysis and reflection I offer three reasons:

We lack clarity about what we want.

We can’t figure out how to get it.

We resist doing what it takes to get what we want.

Which of these is your excuse? It’s okay to give it up. In fact, I’d say it’s time.

Consider a troubling job situation. Imagine what your life would be like if that problem didn’t exist. Energizing, empowering, reassuring, rewarding? Sounds attractive, doesn’t it? Now chew on this kernel of truth: A lot of what you wish for is entirely possible. But turning possibility into reality requires something of you. First, you’ve got to believe it can happen. Second, you must act.

Stop settling for what ceases to serve. Don’t accept mediocrity. Confront your boredom, disappointment, frustration, and stress. Be the catalyst for the change you seek. Where to start? Take stock in these key areas:

Relationships

Thirty years ago I had a supervisor who mistreated her staff. Keeping my head down, I did my job and stayed out of her way. One day her mother died suddenly. This event promptly placed me at a fork in the road. Should I express sympathy or pretend I hadn’t heard?

Eventually I wrote a note she didn't acknowledge. Months later this woman knocked at my front door after the death of my husband. Holding me tight, she confessed to carrying my wrinkled condolence message everywhere. It comforted her, she said. In that moment a transformation occurred. Two estranged human beings connected. If I hadn’t reached out, that door wouldn't have opened.

Talent

Angrily a client informed me of her plans to quit her job. Tired of tolerating team dysfunction and a constricted little box, she sensed there had to be more to work. Feeling underutilized and ignored, she worried that stagnation would break her spirit. Sure of her strengths, this client yearned to play a bigger game.

I recommended a conversation with her boss and provided appropriate language. A week later an email arrived in my inbox. The manager recognized her value and promised adjustments. The lesson? Ask for what you need. You just may get some of it.

Work/Life Balance

This seems to be THE universal struggle today. An overloaded calendar not only leads to chronic fatigue but also deep depression. People feel backed into a corner from which they doubt they can emerge. It’s a dangerous kind of bondage.

A man once told me that his wife complained bitterly about his constant absence. He had no idea how to appease the situation, barely treading water during those “expected” seventy hour weeks. If this resonates with you, try practicing my 3 Ps:

Prioritize the work.

Pace yourself.

Play is important; fit it into your schedule.

Don’t shake your head at the third P. Yes, occasionally you deserve it. And so do those you love. Though you can’t pull off perfect balance, trust that more is possible.

Career Path

Freedom comes in many forms. Finally understanding that YOU create your own career is one of them. You hold the paint brush. You are in charge. You are responsible. Exciting yet daunting, isn’t it?

Recently two people shared with me the conclusion they’d drawn: neither fits into the employer- defined culture in which they work. After enduring life altering experiences, they are certain they don’t belong. They recognize they’ve outgrown it all: their colleagues, processes, and duties. Both intend to move on. Despite real fear both are dipping their toes into new professional territory, discovering what is possible each step of the way. From a distance I applaud their choices.

If you look closely, possibility surrounds you. It’s the spice in everyday life. It’s the juice that recharges your battery during difficult times. It’s the hope you crave. Like brilliant stars in a dark sky, possibility lights the way for you to evolve and become your very best self. Without possibility beckoning, you are likely to stand still. That is precisely not what you are meant to do. You are meant for motion.

Remember: There is great beauty in possibility. There is challenge. There is risk. Mostly, I think, there is an invitation to dream of what could be true if we allow it. It’s the allowing that trips us up.

The New Year calls each one of us to get out of our own way. Don’t wait to act until you deem yourself smarter, braver, or wiser.

To an extent you are smart, brave, and wise already. Tap the riches within you. Opportunity always flows. It’s available for the taking. Open your eyes. Observe it. Pursue it. Live it.

Whatever happens in 2014 — or doesn’t -- is largely up to you.

Sylvia Hepler, President of Launching Lives, LLC, is a career development specialist for executives and managers based in Mechanicsburg. She supports clients as they upgrade their current job performance, seek a promotion, or plan and navigate a transition. She may be reached at 717-761-5457 or Sylvia@launchinglives.biz.